14 • November / December 2026• abasto.com Special PLMA insert MEXICO: PURPOSE IS DEMONSTRATED Mexico took me to Culia- cán, home to Coppel, the major retailer celebrating 85 years in business this year and well known to Mexican consumers in the United States. We talked about the customer expe- rience, but above all about purpose and trust. We can have NPS, sur- veys, dashboards, and customer journeys. But no tool can replace a more ba- sic question: Why should a customer trust us? Purpose isn’t just a slogan on the wall. It’s demons- trated when we streamli- ne the return process for a defective product or greet customers with a smile and address their concerns. Task for 2027: Turn our purpose into behaviors that every employee can understand and put into practice. Trust is built one interaction at a time. UNITED STATES: LISTENING, SERVING, AND PROTECTING WALLETS Back home: 2026 was a di- fficult year for many fami- lies, particularly our own. By mid-year, 71% of U.S. grocery shoppers said they were very concerned about inflation, and 77% were changing their spending habits. For part of our communi- ty, economic pressure was compounded by uncertain- ty and fear surrounding im- migration issues. That’s why Hispanic su- permarkets must be ob- sessed with listening to our customers, offering them the best possible value, and serving them exceptionally well. We have more tools than ever before. Now we need better inventory, logistics, and control systems that reduce costs and prevent stockouts, and, especia- lly, a customer relations- hip management (CRM) system that lets us get to know each customer indi- vidually. Consumers are ready: 85% of Hispanic consu- mers have at least one supermarket loyalty card, and 90% use a grocery shopping app during their visits. Task for 2027: Move from knowing the Hispa- nic consumer to knowing each Hispanic consumer. Implement or update our loyalty platform and help them save money through a personalized experience. FIVE COUNTRIES LATER... The big question 2026 lea- ves me with isn’t whether we need more technology, but what we need it for. To take care of our em- ployees. To energize our stores. To protect without intimidating. To build trust. To operate more effectively. And to listen to and serve our customers better. We Hispanic super- markets already have so- mething extraordinary: closeness, culture, and community. In 2027, we don’t need to become more hi- gh-tech supermarkets. We need to use techno- logy to become better su- permarkets. At the Enrique Coppel Tamayo Auditorium at Coppel, Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico. Retail Media Activa- tion at Falabella Stores, Santiago, Chile. Retail Media activation in Falabella stores, Santiago, Chile. • Continuation of page 12